


Can I Be Him

by shrugheadjonesthethird



Series: Tumblr Prompts [2]
Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Buggie Break, Coffee, College Student Betty, F/M, Ithaca College, Singing Jughead, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-10
Updated: 2018-04-10
Packaged: 2019-04-21 05:06:33
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,815
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14277543
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shrugheadjonesthethird/pseuds/shrugheadjonesthethird
Summary: Spring Buggie Break Prompt 7: April Showers and New BeginningsOur story continues from You Had Me @ Hello





	Can I Be Him

**BuggieBreak Prompt 7: April Showers and New Beginnings.**

 

Betty and Jughead stared at each other, smiling for what felt like an eternity. She looked down at her feet nervously. Betty wasn’t the type to accept a date from a man she just met, but there was no doubting their meeting wasn’t anything but kismet. She felt a newfound confidence around this man she’s known all of ten minutes.

“When?” She squeaked. She was ringing her hands in front of her stomach nervously, trying her hardest not to let her anxiety get the better of her; trying to leave the voice of Alice Cooper out of her head _Elizabeth Cooper, what are you going? He’s a complete stranger. You have better sense than this, young lady._ She shook her head to dislodge the familiar voice that came creeping into her mind whenever Betty did something her mother would not approve of. Jughead watched as she looked conflicted within herself. Their eyes met again, and hers softened. The chartreuse green caught him off guard. She smiled shyly when she realized he’d been watching her struggle internally. “Sorry.” She whispered.

“There is nothing to be sorry about, Betty.” He rested his palm on her denim clad shoulder in reassurance. He felt as her shoulder relaxed under his touch. It was not lost on Betty, either. She had been working to quell her anxiety with anything the doctor would throw at her: medication, journaling, exercise, but nothing seemed to work like his touch. “Do you have anywhere to be?”

“No, it’s spring break. My roommates all went home. So, it’s just me.” She shrugged.

“Then how about we get that coffee now?” Jughead smiled. He knew he was being more forward than normal, but he couldn’t help himself. There was a magnetic pull between them he couldn’t ignore, and being the smart man he was, he knew Betty felt it, too. Betty smiled up at him.

“I told you, if you don’t stop reading my mind, you’ll have to pay rent,” Betty laughed. Her smile reached her eyes. It really could light up the room. She gathered her books, and the few records that piqued her interest and made her way up the stairs. Jughead slowly gathered his messenger bag and his purchases for the day and followed lazily behind her.

He watched her from the top of the stairs as she talked to the owner of the shop excitedly about her finds. She was bubbly and wonderful, but he thought back to her visible internal struggle with herself. _There is definitely something different about this girl_. He smirked to himself as he approached the counter beside her. He placed his hand in the small of her back gently. She looked to her left and smiled. He winked at the owner.

The owner of the bookstore was a slight woman, hair silver and wild. She raised her eyebrow at Jughead after his wink. Betty didn’t see the interaction between the two. “I haven’t seen you in here in a long time, young lady. Keeping busy with your coursework and forget all about me? What brings you by today?”

“Spring break, and I wanted to see what I could find, you never know what’s going to fall into your lap in a place like this.” She began to blush. Betty handed the woman the money for her items. Jughead did the same. They walked toward the door. Betty stopped dead in her tracks. She hadn’t anticipated the rain when she walked there earlier. She breathed a sigh.

“What?” Jughead back at her over his shoulder.

“I walked here.” She hung her head low in defeat, anticipating the mile long walk back in the pouring rain.

“Well, then it’s a good thing you’re not going home yet,” he all but laughed. Betty’s blush brightened. He fiddled with the wool covering his head. They walked out of the bookstore, stay close under the awning to prevent getting drenched before they had to. “My car is a block away; do you think you’ll melt before then?” He joked, elbowing her shoulder, pushing her into the rain. Betty had loved playing in the rain as a child. It was something her and her sister would do, before Alice lost her mind. _Young ladies don’t play in puddles!_

“I won’t melt, Jug.” She looked down nervously, then proceeded to raise her arms at her side, embracing the downpour. As the rain soaked her, the volume of Alice Cooper’s voice began to fade. A smile creeped onto her face as she spun slowly. Jughead watched her, confused. Even drenched, she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. She joined him back under the awning a few moments later giggling to herself. “See?”

He laughed, louder than expected. “You’re something else, Betty. Do you know that?” He smiled still. The continued to walk through the commons under the awnings. Betty began to shiver. The rain was cold and the wind blew almost violently. “I can’t let you sit in wet clothes like this, you’ll get sick. Do you want me to take you home?”

“I can make us coffee,” she suggested. Jughead smiled at the idea.

\---

They walked through the front door; the house was silent. It was an older home, but Betty loved how charming it was. The bay window in the living room was her favorite place to read in the early hours of the morning. Jughead looked around the living room area. It was comfortable, lived in. Betty walked into the kitchen and measured and began brewing a pot of coffee.

“I’m just going to run upstairs and get out of these clothes,” Betty said placing her hand on his back. He swallowed hard to push past the lump that was suddenly in his throat. The image of her shedding her waterlogged clothes took over his thoughts. He simply nodded, unable to get the words out. She ran upstairs, to what he presumed as where her bedroom was. He made his way to the massive bookcase. He ran his fingers over the spines of the well-loved books and protected record sleeves. He raised his eyebrows when he saw a few of his favorites waiting to be put back in their proper place. He fingered the records in search of something, he wasn’t sure what it was.

Betty was upstairs peeling off her soaking clothes. She toweled off the residual moisture and searched for something to wear. Black shorts, mismatched socks, and a cut of t-shirt she normally wore to sleep. She wasn’t sure why, but she adorned something scandalous ever for her as undergarments. The shirt hung off her shoulder, revealing the strap of her bra.

Betty bounded down the stairs, walking directly into the kitchen. Jughead was still thumbing through her very thorough collection.

“How do you take your coffee?” She called from the kitchen. She pulled down two, mismatched mugs from the counter. Her favorite two, both with literary references on them. Betty was the epitome of a bookworm.

“Black. Thank you,” he said still at the bookcase. Within a moment, Betty was next to him, handing him a mug. “Thanks,” he smiled. “This is quite the collection, Betty. I might actually be in shock.”

“Thanks, you can thank my dad for that. He started my collection, I guess I just wanted to keep a piece of him when I left home.” She smiled to herself, remember the first record her father gave her when she was ten years old. She walked over to the bay window and sat down, crossing her legs. Jughead finally broke his focus from the bookcase to notice her. Betty was sitting the window, sipping her coffee, eyes closed. Her hair was still damp, but it fell to her shoulders with a slight wave. Her legs were long, her bare shoulder sending a shiver up his spine. He stared at her for a moment, in a more natural state than she was in earlier. She looked up over her coffee cup at him and blushed. She placed down the mug next to her and tucked her legs against her check and hugged them.

In that moment, Jughead knew exactly what he was looking for in her record stacks. Luckily for him, Betty kept them well organized. “May I?” He asked indicating his choice, shielding it from her. She nodded simply. He pulled the shiny record from its sleeve. He places the needle down carefully, not wanting to scratch the pristine plastic. The acoustic guitar began strumming easily.

 _“You walked into the room and now my heart has been stolen. You took me back in time to when I was unbroken. Now you're all I want, and I knew it from the very first moment, 'cause a light came on when I heard that song and I want you to sing it again.”_ Jughead sang along, still standing next to the player. Betty’s jaw dropped. His voice was just as beautiful as it had been earlier in the basement of the bookstore. He made his way next to her at the window. She sat straight up, moving her coffee mug to make room for him next to her. She felt breathless again.

“You really do sing beautifully, Juggie.” She smiled. She wasn’t sure what brought the newfound nickname to her lips, but he didn’t seem phased by it. She shifter her body, one knee bent to her side, the other dangling over the ends of the sill.

“I’m not great with this stuff, Betty.” He repeated the lyrics to her, the second time that day. Her eyes welled with tears at the intimacy of the moment. The music floated in the background. She cupped the side of his face, forcing his eyes to hers. His eyes darted between her crystalline eyes and her soft lips. She blushed at the minor adjustment to his eyes.

“I’m not either.” She confessed. “I can’t even say I’ve had too much experience with it, if I’m being honest. It was always just easier that way.” She averted her eyes to his hands. She watched as he lifted it and placed it on her thigh in comfort. There was no denying the electricity between them. When she looked back at him, his eyes were still trained on her. Her words were dripping with baggage, but he didn’t seem to mind. He pressed his forehead into hers.

He slowly pressed his lips into hers. Their kiss was light, soft. The same shock present when their lips met. He pulled away and exhaled. They looked back into each other’s eyes. This time Betty advanced, placing a kiss to his lips, with more fervor. When they broke for air, they both gasped. They smiled at each other.

“You really never know what’s going to fall into your lap, Betty, but I’m glad it was you.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading. Let me know what you think!
> 
> @squids2therescue on tumblr.


End file.
